'Fairy Tail' Creator Teases His New Series

Fairy Tail may have come to a close in 2017, but next year will hold plenty of work for Hiro Mashima. The creator says he has plans for a brand-new series, and fans are being asked to look forward to the upcoming serial.

Taking to Twitter, Mashima shared a message with fans on New Year's Eve. The artist parted ways with Fairy Tail by posting a colored sketch of its characters, and its caption teased fans about Mashima's next series.

"This year marked the completion milestone of Fairy Tail which was published over 11 years. I received messages from many people, and I am full of gratitude," Mashima wrote. "Next year, I will do my new serial!"

今年は11年間連載したFTの完結という節目の年でした。たくさんの人からメッセージをいただき、感謝の気持ちで一杯です。来年は新連載がんばるぞ！ pic.twitter.com/jHllYOnjfI

— 真島ヒロ (@hiro_mashima) December 31, 2017

Of course, this isn't the first time Mashima has hinted at his next work. Back in September, the creator posted a message on social media telling fans he had thought up new characters for an upcoming project.

"New series," Mashima tweeted. "Looks like a good character is born."

For now, there is no word on what kind of series Mashima is working on for his next gig. The artist has worked on two serialized projects over the course of his career. Rave was the first manga Mashima penned for Kodansha back in 1999, and the series collected 35 volumes before wrapping in 2005. Fairy Tail came afterwards in 2006, and the title became a shonen staple after A-1 Pictures adapted the manga into an anime. Next year, the show is set to roll out its eighth and final season.

For those unfamiliar with Fairy Tail, the series was originally created by Hiro Mashima. It is set in a fantasy world full of magic, and Natsu Dragneel is a fire breathing wizard with the powers of a dragon, and is in search of his missing foster father, the dragon Igneel. As he and his wizarding guild Fairy Tail get into adventures, Natsu always tries to find a way to succeed. The series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from August 2006 to July 2017 and has spawned 60 million copies. It was later adapted into an anime by A-1 Pictures, Dentsu Inc., and Satelight in 2009 and ended its first run in 2013. A second series ran from 2014 to 2016, and a third series is planned for a 2018 release.

Are you excited for Mashima's next series? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!